Dan Yablonsky, 27, of Bloomfield, gathers fellow bicyclists in Market Square before embarking on the Lunch Loop, a short Downtown bike trip, on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. Yablonsky is the business development manager for Bike Pittsburgh.

“I’m building my skills,” she said. “And now the hardest part is finding time to ride.”

Anna Kudruv, Zone 2 Commander for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, pedals a Healthy Ride rental bicycle along the Monongahela River during the nonprofit's August #LunchLoop on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016.

Credit Megan Harris / 90.5 WESA

Kudrav was among nearly 40 cyclists – including several uniformed police officers – pedaling through Downtown during Pittsburgh’s monthly #LunchLoop ride in August.

The sky was a deep, clear blue. The heat had temporarily leveled. But even if hadn’t, Bike Pittsburgh Business Development Manager Dan Yablonsky said any day on a bike – even over a lunch break – is a pretty decent day.

#LunchLoop, a 25- to 30-minute bike ride starting and ending in Market Square, traverses a mix of Downtown bike lanes and riverfront trails with a brief stop at the fountain in Point State Park. The meetup resurfaced this year after fellow nonprofit Riverlife kicked it off in 2014.

The group reconvenes for the final ride of the summer at noon on Friday in Market Square. Organizers welcome both avid cyclists and first-time riders.

Check out the #LunchLoop here:

“When we launched, we really saw a new population of people get out and get biking,” said Erin Potts, Healthy Ride Director of Marketing and Community Outreach.

These aren’t serious athletes looking to take on 100 miles over big hills or winding trails, she said. Sure, she sees the occasional Lycra and spandex fair, but mostly it’s loafers, dress shirts and cardigans.

Plum area teacher Kristen Rowe, 29, treated herself on the last day of summer with one last sunny ride. Point Park University Administrative Assistant Gail Hric wanted to learn the city trails, she said.

Consultant Duncan Henricks, 30, saw friends post about the ride on social media. He’s Downtown almost every day, and riding is his favorite form of transportation.

“It’s just the fastest place to get between the East End and the North Side, where I live,” he said. “Once you get used to the hills, it’s easy.”

Potts said pay-as-you-go bikes will be available Friday at $2 per half hour for those who need one. To speed it up, create your account before you arrive, she said.

“It’s been a really successful and consistent event for us,” she said. “We get new people every time.”

Right now, most Pittsburghers use their car to get around, but that may change in the near future. First of all, the city lacks sufficient parking, especially downtown. But new transportation options backed by the mayor will make it easier to get around “tahn” without owning a car. Mayor Peduto stopped by Essential Pittsburgh to focus on the city’s transportation goals going forward.

The most immediate issue the mayor has been dealing with was the Uber/Lyft dispute. Peduto said he is behind the two ride sharing companies and calls the ongoing dispute with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission "dysfunctional."

The Pittsburgh Department of City Planning will hold its third and final public meeting on its new Bike Plan on Monday. The new Bike plan replaces the 1999 version and will set the agenda for Pittsburgh’s biking infrastructure, events and education initiatives.

Bike Pittsburgh Advocacy Director Eric Boerer attended one of two previous meetings, which he said included maps where residents could mark areas that they'd like to see become safer and more accessible for cyclists.

Boerer said these simple displays are useful in identifying priorities.